Plagiarism now and forever or not?

The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one’s self. All sin is easy after that.

 ~Pearl Bailey

Academic cheating or to use the more formal term, to commit “plagiarism” is a regular occurrence at the college level whether it is deliberate or unintentional. Students are tasked with writing papers, conducting research, and submitting work based on their own skills and ability. Academic institutions in order to ensure students are submitting their own work have employed technology in the form of plagiarism detection software.  These efforts have deterred much of the possible cheating but has it really been effective? 

There were two studies conducted with students from California State University who wrote papers that were checked for plagiarism using plagiarism-detection software.  In one class, half the students were informed of the use of plagiarism software and the other half were not informed of this method of evaluation (Youmans, 2011).  Why do students commit plagiarism? Analysis has indicated students lack maturity, underdeveloped sense of integrity, and a lack of experience with a particular writing genre or a lack of interest in a particular assignment (Calvert & Moorman, 2012).

Most public and private schools, colleges, and universities have academic integrity or honor codes and explain the results of plagiarism but what are instructors doing to ensure plagiarism does not occur (Calvert & Moorman, 2012)?    Colleges are employing plagiarism software such as TURNITIN and Essay Verification Engine (EVE), and PlagScan to check students work and detect for plagiarism. These versions of plagiarism detection software use multiple sources of data to compare the text of a students work with that of peer evaluated previously written work. 

 

As a strategy to prevent plagiarism an instructor should ensure the students are well informed of the policy of plagiarism and that detection software will be used to detect if a student has used the work of others without properly providing recognition to the original.  As revealed in the study at California State University, the students who were informed of the use of plagiarism software had a less likely occurrence of plagiarism as opposed to those who were not informed.  Another strategy is to ensure students provide their own personal assessment of the material by making this a requirement in the grading rubric.  Lastly, instructors should create an environment of academic integrity, push the honor codes of the school and promote a culture of honesty and learning (Calvert & Moorman, 2012).

Students should not cheat themselves from the satisfaction of receiving academic credit for their own work and feel a sense of pride in the degree they truly earn on their own!

 

Bibliography

Calvert, L., & Moorman, G. (2012). Rethinking Plagiarism in the Digital Age. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 35-44.

Youmans, R. (2011). Does the adoption of plagiarism-detection software in higher education reduce plagiarism. Studies in Higher Education, 749-761.

A look at the technological impact on adult learning from both sides

A look at the technological impact on adult learning from both sides

Technological innovations have had tremendous impact on all facets of our lives, especially in the world of education. When I was first introduced to distance learning, all course material was mailed in advance. I would receive this material and work from it when completing all my work. I would be required to mail out the completed projects for grading. All tests were proctored and mailed out for grading. After a break in taking a break I returned to the online classroom but with a huge difference. All of the educational matter was completely online. The following questions reveal how much technology has changed and impacted the adult learning arena.

What impact can technology have on adult learning?

In our fast moving world and the necessity to acquire a college education for advancement and keen competition in the job market, the technological advances with regard to adult learning has opened the online portal wide. The integration of technology into instruction particularly when used as an instructional tool, can empower learners to take more responsibility for their own learning and creates a powerful learning environment (Ginsburg 1998). This means more people are able to obtain a college education online without having to attend a brick and mortar school, while maintaining a home, regular job, and family activities.

What should online instructors consider before incorporating technology into the online learning environment?

As a current online instructor I am mindful and reminded of how many my students do not know about using technology and must be ready, willing, able, and understanding of their deficiencies and provide them ample support to accomplish the required task. I also must be cognizant of where my students are and how that may impact their ability to access the work.

What implications do usability and accessibility of technologies have on adult learning?

Again, where my students live must a concern as well as their ability to access the web and the type of equipment they have to perform their task. I currently have students how do not own the proper software so my school provides them with grants to purchase the most basic windows suite. I tried to conduct a Skype session but soon found out only about half of my students understood how to sign up for Skype then a significant number less had a webcam! With that said, the items we decide to use must be easy, accessible, and FREE.

What technologies are most appealing to your teaching online? Explain.

The technologies that are most appealing for me is first my school blackboard. It has functional ease that puts students at rest. Next I would favor using GOTOMEETING for online chats with multiple students. I would love to do a webcam like Skype but it cost money and everyone, as mentioned earlier do not have webcams yet! Google has made great strides in improving online applications for multiple uses so Google anything will be a future choice for me. Trying to find technology that is familiar with everyone will be extremely difficult so this why I am remaining near the simple technologies. As for as platforms, I find that anything that the student can acquire that allows them easy access and functionality I can support.

As an online learner, I have seen the transformation of technology and will embrace all future changes. As reported in Time magazine Oct 7^th Issue, online education is making learning cheaper and better.

References

Ginsburg, L. (1998). Integrating Technology into Adult Learning. 37-46.

　

Reif, L.R. Better, more affordable colleges start online. Time Sept 26th 2013

　

　

OFF THE BEATEN PATH!

Off the beaten path!

For this week’s blog, I took a different approach from previous research and focus and tried to locate games and simulations off the beaten path with more realism.  The Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab is just that location, off the beaten path (http://beacon.wharton.upenn.edu/learning/)  Located in the Wharton School of Business in the development center for experimental laboratory, dedicated to exploring new approaches to learning developed several real life, game based simulations.  I have chosen the “Tragedy of the Tuna” and “RAISE” as my two multimedia resources to discuss.

Tragedy of the Tuna

Students represent a tuna fishing fleet and balance decisions that impact their own group as well as a commonly-shared resource (Eric Orts)

• Interactive chat— teams can chat with each other to create or break alliances or to attempt to signal their intentions.
• Shipyard— teams can order new boats at a fixed cost. Once ordered, these boats become available in the next round.
• Secondary market— teams can buy and sell used boats from each other.
• Public and Private Contracts— teams can create public or private contracts which set limits on deployment and enforce penalties if contract requirements

This online game I find intriguing because understanding the problems associated with Tuna fishing and relating them to everyday life is extremely similar and can be applied to most conditions in every community.  One of the best items associated with this program is the automatic computation of information inserted by the teams (students) then calculates possible outcomes.

My only concern for this program is the inability of all students to interact with this program in a timely manner due to location, work requirements, and lack of knowledge about the actual industry.

http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/learning/tragedy-of-the-tuna.cfm

Raise Allocation Interactive Salary Exercise or RAISE

Student decision makers review employee profiles and allocate a salary raise pool accordingly.

The Raise Allocation Interactive Salary Exercise (RAISE) application focuses students on allocating a salary raise pool among seven employees, providing hands-on experience in the role of corporate managers who must allocate limited resources. Within the simulation, students make decisions about which employees will receive a raise based on quantitative and qualitative performance measures as well as a host of demographic characteristics and other idiosyncratic information for each employee (Rosenkopf & Wiesendfeld).

I found this website very useful for my future business students who want to get an upper hand on how to manage resources within the company scheme. The results of the inserted information provides the student with a large colorized sheet detailing the outcome.

Although this is a business related game, legal aspects all persist and require students to know the laws related to human resources and personnel matters. The only concern I have this multimedia tool is the lack of pre- knowledge and experience when trying to input or consider information.  I would not want my students wasting valuable time experimenting with different bits and pieces of information before achieving “real” results. I feel there must be a bit more knowledge acquired before the student could actually benefit from this program.

http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/learning/raise-allocation-interactive-salary-exercise.cfm

Although totally business related, both games/simulations provide valuable experience in the critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration areas for students in a business related class. Since many of my students pursue business related degrees I can provide these resources for them to review and prepare.

 

Ray

SETTING AN ONLINE COURSE THAT IS EFFECTIVE

When I first entered into the realm of online learning through technology based instruction (the internet) I was very apprehensive about how I could effectively interact with the instructor and my fellow students.  Fortunately, the school I attended had a real solid introductory course established that would smoothly acclimate new students and relieve our tension over using the different “blackboard” or online classroom resources.  This was a huge step in making the adjustments to internet based learning but what came after was equally if not more important, engaging the actual course instructor and beginning the course.

For every online course available there are an equal number of methods to formally set up a course that will be effective for all learners participating in the educational process.  There are several steps that must be taken to ensure the course is in fact effective and beneficial to all the students. 

First and foremost the instructor must establish a welcoming presence.  Presence is the most important best practice for an online course (Boettcher & Conrad 2010).  I believe this is important because without it students feel alone and not the center of attention.  I took a class and there was no real welcome message and the only time I heard from the instructor was after my assignment was read and graded.  He also left minimum feedback which was not helpful.  Helpful “ice breakers” is another method to establish instructor presence and open the class up with an activity that will or should relax the students in a nonthreatening manner (Conrad & Donaldson 2011).

Another aspect of the course in the first twenty-four hours is informing the students in clear and concise manner what is expected of them during this course.  Clear and unambiguous guidelines about what is expected of learners and what they should expect from an instructor make a significant contribution to ensuring understanding and satisfaction in an online course (Boettcher & Conrad 2011).  Instructors must be mindful of the location, occupation, or physical limitations of students thus the more information they have at the beginning of the course the better.  During a course I became good friends with a fellow service member.  He was pending medical board from injuries suffered in Iraq.  He would often email me and ask questions concerning the course because this particular course came with little instructions. 

Some other considerations the instructor must take into account when setting up the online course is providing as much information in the most modest manner so students can begin on positive notes.  These items are a welcome message that sets the tone for the course. Next a complete and informative syllabus that outlines all the course readings, lessons, and due dates for assignments.  Additionally, instructors must establish through personal contact that creates and open lines of communication that provides a feeling of connection between the adult learner and the instructor. This is accomplished through the instructor bio, providing the students a glimpse that the instructor is also human and was once a student.

 

Boettcher, J & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and Practical           pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass.

Conrad, R. & Donaldson, J. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for                    creative instruction. San Francisco, CA Jossey-Bass

IT TAKES A VILLAGE OR AN ONLINE COMMUNITY

It takes a village or an online community!

Research has shown that functioning in a learning community can enhance the learning that occurs among members in the classroom (Maddix, 2013).  This statement is true on a personal nature as I have directly grown from my experience through my online learning journey.  With the popularity and convenience of online learning, more and more people have migrated toward the attractiveness of learning instead of taking classes in the traditional settings. 

There are three main elements of the online learning community that are true and constant within any educational environment.  They are individual but necessary as partners in the online learning community.  First you need people, without there is not foundation for the community to exist.  Second, you need a method to bring them together, as a group learning will definitely occur.  Finally, there need to be an established process by which information is exchanged through a structure environment (Palloff & Pratt, 2012).  Additionally, there are implied elements that bring the entire process together.  Online learning communities have a sense of shared purpose, there must be established boundaries defining who is a member and who is not, establishment and enforcement of rules/policies regarding community behavior, definite interaction among members, and a certain level of trust, respect, and support among communities (Maddix, 2013).  These additional elements provide more support for the online learning communities that augment the initial three elements.

As a lifelong learner via the online medium and now employed as a part time adjunct instructor, my overall satisfaction came when I walked across the stage at graduation.  My life had been transformed from retired United States Marine to college graduate, what a sense of accomplishment.  This was accomplished through a complex online learning community that was a true joy to experience.  As a student we engaged with each other and the online learning community reflected a transformation which turned out tremendously positive (Palloff & Pratt, 2012).  Each online experience I had prepared me for the next course and for the next course until graduation.  Each online learner I have dealt with as an instructor, I receive enjoyment from seeing my students succeed.  This reinforces their sense of purpose, the implied element of the online learning community. 

There are two factors that will ensure the sustainment of online learning communities.  First the student must have a social presence. Second the instructor must be able to facilitate the course.  Students must be able to identify “who I am as a human being in the online environment” (Palloff & Pratt, 2012). Institutions must address the student as the most important aspect of the learning process.  Without them (people) the online learning community ceases to exist.  The importance of introducing the social presence on behalf of the student through an interactive relationship, building of a solid dialogue, and focus will ensure learning communities are sustained (Ryman, Burrell, Hardham, Richardson, & Ross, 2009).  Instructors play a thoughtful role in the sustainment of online learning communities, without them there is no possibility of furthering the online because there will be no more people.

The relationship between community building and effective online instruction involves both the student and more importantly student.  Students must believe their goals are aligned with and by the instructor community building has begun.  Welcome letters, initial calls, and comprehensive and functional instructional designs make the course attractive to the student (Palloff & Pratt, 2012).   Goals and task interdependence are two essential components that facilitate the community building and effective online learning (Ryman, Burrell, Hardham, Richardson, & Ross, 2009).  When students are on task and that support their goals, they are more motivated to perform whether in a group or individually.

Online learning communities are growing in the vast educational plain.  As previously stated, more and more people are turning to achieving their educational goals via the online method as a result of the effort of institutions across the country.

Bibliography

Maddix, M. A. (2013). Developing Online Learning Communities. Christian Education Journal, 139-148.

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2012). Online Learning Communities. (Unknown, Interviewer)

Ryman, S., Burrell, L., Hardham, G., Richardson, B., & Ross, J. (2009). Creating and Sustaining Online Learning Communities: Designing for Transformative Learning. The International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 32-45.

 

 

Educational Technologies (tools) with the most impact

Educational Technologies (tools) with the most impact

The first technology I reviewed was from Danielle Ciccoli

http://www.ilessonplan.com

As a striving and aspiring college professor, I see the capabilities of this technology to be critical in my development.  With I-lesson I can create lesson plans, collaborate with my peers for critical feedback, populate on educational websites to share with other adult educators, and get approval from my administrators. With technology on the go, this tool will greatly assist my goals of becoming a top notch adult educator on the road.  Always providing me the flexibility to create/develop continuously. This tool will also allow me to update my instruction package and keep it relevant and engaging.

The second technology I reviewed was quizmeonline from Jerrie McClain

http://www.quizmeonline-great-resource-of-free.html

Since I love to surprise and catch my students off guard thereby making the class exciting and interesting, I love this tool.  I also know that repetition can help with retention.  I will use quiz me online to, just as it is billed, to build a database of quick and easy pop quiz’s and create sample test that will provide the student a glimpse at what is to come.  Many students have trouble with test because they don’t know what is on the test or the composition of the test.  This tool will allow me to demonstrate the DNA of the test, thereby better preparing them and for future test.

The third technology I reviewed is brainmetrix is from Dashburn43

http://www.brainmetrix.com

This technology or tool will help me develop memory, attention, focus, problem solving, and spatial reasoning.  These abilities are what is definitely lacking in our youth who will become adult learners.  I am planning on implementing this tool in my current high school JROTC class and possibly develop a small plan to make a part of my adult learning classes.  The only challenge there is I teach this class online.  Each of the items I listed earlier, memory, attention, focus etc, are critical to acquiring and retaining knowledge.  With my JROTC cadets this will definitely help their problem solving skills and leadership abilities.

All three technologies or tools are applicable in my daily life as well as my online teaching life, the challenge is finding the right method to implement them for maximum results.

 

BE NICE, BE POLITE, AND BE RESPECTFUL THIS IS NOT BAR

The internet has become the mecca of information exchange, sometimes good and many times not so good.  The hidden problems lay in the people and their ability insight violent reactions from people miles and miles away.  For example, I am an avid sports fan and sometimes, I read the comments from other sports fans while a game is in progress.  I have seen some very scorching comments that have even made my blood boil. Had that person and I been at a local watering hole a fight would have definitely taken place.

From my perspective the internet has flashed onto the scene with a violent rage without stopping to make sure we don’t overdose on information and abilities to obtain said information.  Just like giving a poor person one million dollars. 

Thus I have found a website that educates very well.  It should be mandatory for all to read and study netiquette before they are allowed to touch a computer connected to the internet.  The first site I found is called “Network Etiquette and can be found at http://www.networketiquette.net/

The tools located on this website are simple and easy to use for the most novice person.  Written in everyday language and the website has a cute (I know a Marine using the word cute my wife made me say it) little video to help grasp the information. It also has ten core netiquette rules that make real sense.  Please check them out.  This website I will use to educate first my own grandkids, next my high school JROTC cadets, then I will introduce my adult learners to this a part of my introduction.  I will encourage everyone to spread the word.

The next website I found is totally awesome.  It has everything from soup to nuts about the internet.  It is call “Learn the Net” and can be found at http://www.learnthenet.com/index.php

 

Please check out this site.  First the information on netiquette is found on the Social Network tab. It goes into great and easy detail on specific sites, the ones we all use “facebook, twitter, etc.”

“Learn the Net” is for adults who want to educate their kids and themselves.  This website I can give to my adult learners early for their own education and I will give it to my “Parent Support Club” of my cadets.

Again, these websites are here but do not receive the proper support and push to get us to use them.  Instead of pushing everyone to sign up for “facebook” “linkedin” or “twitter” we should first be pushed to sign up for a netiquette course. Kind of like getting a drivers license.